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Let us reflect together on the first reading, taken from the Book of Tobit. It is the story of Tobit, his son Tobiah and his wife, Sarah, and Raphael.
Tobit, Tobiah, and Sarah had very serious problems. They prayed and God listened to their prayer. God answered their prayers through the prayers of Raphael, and the three wanted to repay Raphael. But Raphael said, “No, you do not have to repay me because I did not do that. God did that for you so you must thank God, not me.” And, because Raphael could not resist it, he finally admitted and said, “I am not a man, I am an angel.”
Let us just stop there and think of this. An angel is a messenger of God. An angel is an agent of God. So many angels are given to us. When I speak of the many angels entrusted to you to take care of you, I do not only speak of the heavenly creatures depicted in religious paintings, possessing beautiful, and, yes, angelic faces. When I speak of angels, I refer to creatures who walk here on earth.
I speak of human beings. According to Seneca, a Roman philosopher: “For as long as there are human beings here on earth, there is always a possibility of kindness.” Perhaps we can paraphrase his words in this manner: “For as long as there are human beings here on earth, there is always the possibility that there are angels.
If there are human beings, then God’s kindness can still be expressed through such human beings. When these human beings do this, then they become angels of God, messengers of goodness.
The message for us, here, is that we should be angels for each other. Have you ever received a compliment from somebody who never before directed words of appreciation to you, but then suddenly say, “You have been an angel to me.” This compliment cannot be equaled by any gift or any reward.”You have been an angel to me.”
If somebody has been an angel to you, so you must be an angel to other people. You must exercise extra goodness. Father Poveda, the founder of our (the Edsa Shrine’s) neighbor school here, said: “In order to give, you do not have to have much. You just have to be good.”
In order to be an angel, you do not have to be rich, you do not have to be wealthy, you just have to possess goodness, you just have to be good.
Let us pray that we may be angels for one another. Let us remember the people who have been angels to us. Let us thank God for them and let us beg the Father to make us angels for all the people we shall meet throughout our life.
WE ARE ANGELS FOR EACH OTHER
Tobit 12:1-10
Only Jesus, Always Jesus
